Creativity in Ministry Today I want to introduce you to Amber Simpson, artist and minister. Amber painted the beautiful “Seasons of Ministry” that now lives on the cover of Pastoral Imagination: Bringing the Practice of Ministry to Life. This is…
Read More
You are invited to the Pastoral Imagination Book Launch Party — on Zoom of course‘Cause that is how we do it in pandemic times! Celebrate the birth into the world of my new bookPastoral Imagination: Bringing the Practice of Ministry…
Read More
In February Ruth Everhart posted in a writing group, to which we both belong, that she had extra copies of her book The #MeToo Reckoning. She was looking for ideas on how to move them. She had my attention. In…
Read More
Join us in welcoming Rev. Dr. Donna Fowler-Marchant as our guest blogger this week. She is a Christ-follower in the Wesleyan tradition and an elder in the United Methodist Church. She is passionate about Wesleyan theology and how it relates…
Read More
Editor’s note: Today we welcome writer and speaker, Lyndsey Medford as our guest. Lyndsey makes her way through the world as an “indecorous Southerner, an erstwhile Evangelical, and an inexpert advocate for justice.” She lives in Charleson, South Carolina, where she is “always…
Read More
Yes. It’s a pandemic. Everything feels overwhelming. Who has time to write? We’re fast approaching a year since our lives were upended. Maybe procrastination, depression, or lack of motivation is keeping you from your writing desk? We have ten reasons…
Read More
This third week of Advent we are happy to welcome a guest post about the deep magic of Advent by Rev. Mary Elizabeth Hill Hanchey. This Advent we partnered with Mary Elizabeth and her friend and collaborator Carlye Daugird to…
Read More
This week we want to share a guest blog by my friend, Rev. Alisha Smith Haddock, minister at Christian Journey Fellowship Church and director of the McGruder Family Resource Center in North Nashville. Recently we featured my interviews with her…
Read More
We are excited to share the cover of Eileen Campbell-Reed’s next book: Pastoral Imagination: Bringing the Practice of Ministry to Life (Fortress, 2021). Additionally, we are delighted to say the book is introduced in a foreword by Christian Scharen. And…
Read More
Trauma inflicts its wounds in a moment, yet recovery may take a lifetime. With proper attention and care, however, healing is possible. +++++++ Earlier this week, I wrote about Trauma Informed Leadership. And I shared information that all spiritual, health…
Read More
What is trauma informed leadership? Why does it matter? If you are engaging in the practice of ministry, I hope you will read on. This fall I am teaching a course in “Trauma Informed Pastoral and Spiritual Care” for Union…
Read More
This is very likely to be a stressful week. Stakes are high. People are divided. The world’s eyes are watching the U.S. elections culminating on Tuesday. Pastors, activists, priests, and chaplains are no exception. You must do what you must…
Read More
This week we are delighted to welcome a guest blog about preparing for Advent from Rev. Mary Elizabeth Hill Hanchey. She and her friend and collaborator Carlye Daugird have composed and curated a set of Advent resources to carry us…
Read More
How will we support each other in the coming holiday season? And how shall we get through Advent in a year that has been so filled with challenge, loss, and grief?
Read More
Have you been to a meeting or worship service lately where someone begins with a Land Acknowledgement? To say with honor and respect and lament the names of the Indigenous Peoples who first inhabited a place is a good start.…
Read More
Editors Note: We are grateful to Rev. Lisa Hammonds, pastor of St. John AME Church, North Nashville, for sharing this two-part story of leading her congregation through tornado recovery. Read about the night of March 3 in How to Survive…
Read More
Editors Note: Rev. Lisa Hammonds is pastor of St. John AME Church in North Nashville. We asked her to share her story of pastoring her congregation through the March 3 Nashville Tornados. If you would like to support the church…
Read More
From preschool to grad school, this time of year is usually punctuated by joyous pictures of students and teachers returning to classrooms. But this year is a strange one. Not like any other. And so we offer this prayer for…
Read More
This week, many college students are returning to campus or virtual classrooms. College administrators are reshaping plans and policies for college life in a pandemic setting. What will ministry with college students look like this year? What are the best…
Read More
This week we want to share a guest blog by Phoebe Capps, church intern at First Baptist Church of Christ in Macon, Georgia. Phoebe’s responsibilities include working with children and youth. She shares with us what she is learning about…
Read More
Counting the Costs of “Independence Day” If one of you wanted to build a tower, wouldn’t you first sit down and calculate the cost, to determine whether you have enough money to complete it? (Luke 14:26, CEB) If we want…
Read More
